SDSU, GEORGETOWN COULD MEET SUNDAY, AGAIN ON MIDWAY

COLUMBUS, Ohio 
If form holds, No. 3 seed Georgetown and No. 6 San Diego State will play Sunday in the NCAA Tournament in what, for one team, will be the last game of the season.

They could meet again in the first game of next season.

Georgetown, according to several sources, has been invited to play the Aztecs on the USS Midway Museum in San Diego Bay, probably Nov. 9. It would replace the Carrier Classic, which was organized by a different promotions group and played on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier last November.

Morale Entertainment, which ran the game between North Carolina and Michigan State, recently backed out of a 2012 local event after the Navy indicated no ships would be available. Instead, a local group headed by the San Diego Sports Commission has expressed interest in hosting a game on the Midway — the 67-year-old aircraft carrier that has been a floating museum on North Harbor Drive since 2004 — and involving SDSU.

Georgetown Athletic Director Lee Reed, in Columbus with the Hoyas basketball team, confirmed his school has been contacted but stressed it is far from finalizing anything.

“We’re flattered by that,” Reed said. “It has the potential to be a phenomenal annual event for college basketball and for the local community. But it’s still way too early. There’s no commitment on our end. We are aware of the game. We have a lot of respect for Al Kidd and the San Diego Sports Commission and its board. They do a great job.”

Morale Entertainment announced plans to move its 2012 game to the East Coast and claims to have 2011 NCAA champion Connecticut under contract. SDSU, according to Morale, is one of several schools that received an invitation for the other spot if a Navy ship can be secured.

The Midway game, however, appears further along and a more viable alternative for the Aztecs, given the proximity to campus and that a local group is organizing it. SDSU officials declined comment.

Feeling better

“James Rahon had a migraine-type headache (that) turned into a little bit of a sore throat,” SDSU coach Steve Fisher said. “He went to the doctor, did blood work. They put him on some type of medication. But he practiced (Wednesday) before we left and was pretty effective. And I think he feels a little bit better today.

“So James will be fine. He’s excited to be here and raring to go.”

A nice bonus

No wonder North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried celebrated so heartily when the Wolfpack made the NCAA Tournament. A clause in Gottfried’s contract reportedly kicked in, giving him an automatic two-year extension at $1.2 million per year. He’s now under contract through the 2017-18 season and his buyout increases to $4.5 million — decreasing $750,000 each year he stays.

Presidential backing

President Barack Obama not only picked North Carolina State to beat SDSU in his tournament bracket, he has the Wolfpack going to the Sweet 16 — reasoning that he likes teams on a roll.

Obama unveiled his bracket on ESPN with Andy Katz, and Gottfried sent Katz a text afterward: “I told him that the President’s trying to get votes, I’m trying to get wins. It’s a little different. So we respect his opinion. But we understand this game will be decided once the ball goes in the air.”

Breakfast basketball

The 9:40 a.m. PDT tipoff is a fashionable topic among the media, wondering if the body clocks of SDSU players will be ready so early. Fisher was asked if he buys into that.

“Well, I better not buy into it,” Fisher said. “To me, it’s a bit like altitude. I know altitude is a factor. But the more you talk about it, the more it gets into your head thinking, ‘Well, man, oh man, that could be a factor.’

“We don’t even mention it. I don’t think it’s a factor at all, to be honest with you. We had a charter flight. They treated us like kings. I believe the players slept well, and we’ll be ready to play no matter what the time.”